The invention relates to improvements in apparatus for reproducing the images of exposed and developed films, and more particularly to improvements in apparatus for imaging portions of exposed and developed photographic films onto discrete sheets of photographic paper or other suitable photosensitive material.
An amateur photographer, as well as a professional photographer, often desires that prints of a series of freshly made exposures be completed as expeditiously as possible. Such services are rendered by certain establishments which specialize in so-called instant service. Thus, an exposed film which has been delivered to an establishment offering the so-called instant service is developed, its frames copied onto photographic paper, the paper developed, and individual prints made ready (with the exposed and developed film) within 60 minutes from the time of delivery. Establishments offering instant service or one-hour service can be found in all or nearly all larger cities but also in numerous smaller or medium sized cities or towns. As a rule, an establishment which specializes in instant service will operate with two units, namely a film developing machine and a so-called miniature laboratory wherein a copying machine is united with a developing machine for photographic paper. A miniature laboratory is often designed in such a way that it can accept and make copies of various types of exposed and developed photographic films.
Many photographers often desire that the exposed and developed film frames be imaged onto sheets of photographic paper having a particular size (e.g., 13.times.18 cm, 9.times.13 cm and/or others). Heretofore known proposals to meet such requirements include the utilization of several cassettes which contain webs of unexposed photographic paper. Each web has a different width. Thus, if the format of photographic prints is to be changed, an operator must remove a first cassette and replace it with a second cassette containing a web of photographic paper having a different width. Such repeated exchange of cassettes which contain webs of photographic paper having different widths is time consuming, and this is particularly undesirable in establishments which offer the aforediscussed instant service. Therefore, such establishments normally offer instant service only if the customer accepts prints of a single format. Accordingly, there exists an urgent need for equipment which can be utilized by establishments offering instant service and which is designed in such a way that prints of any one of a plurality of different formats can be made upon request and with no loss, or with little loss, in time.